2019: In Kaduna, Politicians won the election, people won the peace

The 2019 elections in Kaduna state left mixed reactions as
the winners celebrate while losers are agonising. ABDULRAHEEM AODU reports.

The exercise

The gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections in
Kaduna state were keenly contested by the two leading parties, but at the end,
the ruling All Progressives Congress won the gubernatorial election and
majority of the tickets into the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

With the general elections over in Kaduna state the
electorate are celebrating the peaceful polls, while waiting with bated breath
for implementation of the various campaign promises.

As the votes were being collated and results announced in
piecemeal by the INEC, PDP was the first to react to the election results, as
party’s chairman in Kaduna state Mr Felix Hassan Hyet rejected what he
described as “doctored results” being announced by the INEC.

Hyet commended the voters for “conducting themselves in
civil manner. There was public vote buying in Zaria local government by
government officials, snatching of ballot boxes in Chikun local government area.

“The worst case was in Birnin Gwari where there no
voting actually took place; ballot boxes were snatched and returned the next
day stuffed with results. Kagarko and Sanga local government areas are
currently under siege by security agencies in an effort to change the results
in favour of the ruling party.

“Results were forcibly changed in Rigasa, Igabi local
government area. The EOs (Electoral Officers) were summoned to government house
to present the results to the governor for him to see and approve before
authorising it.

“Based on all these irregularities, we would not accept
any doctored results that are announced by INEC because we have the original
results from our agents on ground,” the PDP chairman added.

Ashiru rejects election, heads to court to seek cancellation

Taking a cue from his party, Ashiru, the PDP gubernatorial
candidate barely waited for the results to be announced before rejecting the
results and stating his readiness to challenge the results at the election
tribunal.

According to Ashiru, “reports obtained by our party
from across the state indicate that the elections were marred by a lot of
irregularities. Our party in a petition to the state Resident Electoral
Commissioner of INEC, rejected the results and called for its outright
cancellation.

“Reports have shown that smart card readers were not
used during the elections in a lot of polling units in Giwa, Birnin Gwari,
Kaduna North, Igabi, Zaria, Lere and Ikara local government areas.

“It is our firm believe that the non-usage of the card
readers, which is a violation of the electoral guidelines, have rendered the
results from these areas invalid and should have been cancelled.

“There was clear militarization of the electoral
process in various part of the state, as military personnel were used to
intimidate voters particularly in Birnin Gwari and Kauru local government
areas.

“Based on these and other irregularities, I hereby
stand by the position of my party to challenge the concocted results at the election
tribunal to get back our stolen mandate.”

El-Rufai urges support, constitutes transition committee

Reacting to his victory, Governor Nasir el-Rufai called on
all stakeholders in the state to join hands with him in building a better
Kaduna state even as he went ahead to constitute a transition committee headed
by the deputy governor-elect Dr. Hadiza Balarabe.

“I accept my re-election with gratitude and humility.
Kaduna state has made history by electing a woman as deputy governor, the first
elected in the far North of our country. The elections are over, it is time to
come together and continue the work of rebuilding Kaduna state.

“Where there has been strife, let us seek calm through
accord and conciliation. Where suspicion and ill-will have reigned, let us
enthrone goodwill. We can do so much for the good of our state and all of its
people when we come together. We are committed to uniting the state.

“There is so much to do to tackle poverty, to improve
healthcare, provide decent education, to create jobs for our youths, and to
secure our communities. Let us do it together.”

While there may be dispute between the APC and PDP over who
won the election, the people of the state rather than the candidates are the
undoubted winners of the election because it was largely peaceful.

In the run up to the elections, there were palpable fears across
Nigeria, especially in Kaduna state that there may be crises at the end due to
the sensitive nature of the state and the acrimonious campaigns engaged in by
the political actors from all sides.

The religious and ethnic colouration given the campaigns by
the two dominant parties, close to the gubernatorial and state assembly
elections, made it almost impossible for the polls to end peacefully. However,
perhaps, the clerics, the religious leaders and the people’s ceaseless prayers
may have achieved the peaceful elections.

Malam Samaila Isa, a provision store owner in Doka, Kaduna
North local government area says, “we thank God that the election has come
and gone and everything was peaceful.

“We were afraid before the election that there may be
crisis but we are happy that it ended peacefully. We hope our leaders would
fulfill the promises they made during their campaign so that we can have a
better Kaduna state where things would work better”.

For Hajiya Salamatu Abdulrazak, a provision store owner at
College Road, Ungwar Dosa, the best thing about the election was that it was
peaceful. “The peaceful nature of the election is invaluable because if
there had been crisis, who knows who will be affected among us.

“Now that the election has ended, it is time for
Governor el-Rufai to finish this our road (College road to Kawo new extension)
so that we can stop inhaling dust every day. An asthma patient cannot last one
week here. The governor should please
help us by completing the work.”

Mr Johnson Igwueze, a trader was also happy that the
election was peaceful. He, however, decried the outcome of the polls. “We
thank God thank that the election went peacefully, I’m equally happy that
Ashiru gave Governor el-Rufai tough contest.

“I hope the governor would in the next four years make
amends in the areas where people are complaining, finish the projects that he
started and give the people of the state that dividends of democracy.”

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